39 Weeks

Well this will probably be the last photo I post of me being pregnant! I got a haircut and a pedicure yesterday. It'll be the last time I do those things in a while, so I figured I better get it done! We'll try to post some photos of the baby from the hospital, and keep you all updated. The C-Section is scheduled for Monday morning at 7:30 AM...only 4 days away! This time has just flown by! I haven't even had time to get nervous about this yet. I'm sure I'll be plenty nervous as I am getting admitted though. Cameron will be my stable one to lean on.

If you are planning on coming to the hospital (or calling) you should do so after 12 noon. I'll be in surgery for about 30 minutes to an hour (start to finish), then moved to the recovery room (and no one is allowed in there except Cameron). If the baby is in the nursery, no one is allowed in there except Cameron (all others can view through the glass). Then I'll be in recovery for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours, then moved to a post partum room after that (and we can have visitors). So we're guessing noon or later is the the best time to come by or call (if you are going to). Just know I might be a little out of it the first day (and in a lot of pain the 2nd day)! I'll be on pain medication. I'll be in the hospital for 4 days or so.

Well have a great Thanksgiving with your families. And I'll I'll keep you all updated.

~Love, Karen

Compilation of all photos

Brett put this together for me. If you click on the photo, it will take you through slide show of all the photos so far...

38 Weeks

Well all is looking good right now. I went back in for my NST and ultrasound today. She's did great during the NST and her amniotic fluid went up to 11.31 (which is the highest its been). My OB and I talked, and we're scheduling my C-Section for Monday the 26th, the Monday after Thanksgiving! Now it seems so close! Cameron only has 4 days left of work now, because the Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be his last day!

I posted the photos that Christine Glebov took of me (also my wedding photographer). She is an incredible photographer, as you can see! http://www.christineglebov.com/ is her website if you are shopping for a photographer.

I'll keep you posted if anything changes.

37 Weeks

Its hard to believe I only have 3 weeks left until my due date. After Cameron took this picture, I asked "Do I really look this pregnant???" and he said yep! I forget what I look like sometimes. I know, its funny! Cameron and I are getting more and more excited... Cameron has been great throughout my pregnancy! Last night he just walked over out of the blue and gave me a foot massage. I just about melted!

I told my OB that I'm not comfortable with trying to turn the baby, so its looking like we'll have a planned cesarean (if she stays breech). Maybe we'll have a date soon. I'm starting to get my hospital bag packed, so we'll be ready to go if something comes up.

I went in today for another Non Stress Test (NST), and she "passed". Now I'll continue going in for 2 NST's a week, and an ultrasound once a week to check the fluids. So it'll be Monday and Thursdays that all this will take place. Its been kind of nice because I'm in the Labor and Delivery ward for the NST's , so I'm getting a lot of questions answered. One thing I'm not too thrilled about is if I have a cesarean, I'll be in a OR Recovery room (4 day recovery in hospital), not the nice decorated birthing suites. But I guess the ones going through all the pain of labor and delivery deserve those rooms!

Until next time...

Doing better...

I wanted to give you all an update. I went back to the hospital for more tests this morning. She did great during the non-stress test. Then during the ultrasound I found out that her amniotic fluids went up to 9.5 (they were at a 6 on Friday night, and below 5 is when there is reason for concern). They want the level to be above 8. They said to continue drinking lots of water, which I've been doing. I'll be seeing my OB on Wednesday, and have more follow up tests done on Thursday.
I am on my first day of maternity leave today! Exciting. I'll be getting all the last minute things done. And I'm also making an appointment with AAA this week for car seat installation safety. Can't ever be too safe!

I'll keep you updated...

Low Amniotic Fluid

So Friday was an interesting day! I scheduled a medical ultrasound to see the growth of the baby, and I double booked my appointment so I could get in yesterday. The place is totally filled up for the next few weeks, and if I wanted to get it done soon, so my choice was to double book. So they fit me in yesterday at 3:45 in Fremont. During the appointment they said they could see the size was good (6 1/2 pounds!), and the bad news was she's breech (which I knew) and I had LOW amniotic fluid. And the doctor said because of that he wanted me to get a Non-Stress test at the hospital that night or Saturday. So he called my doctor and told her what the results of the ultrasound were, and I talked to her, and she wanted me to go straight to the hospital. She said that we need to see the baby's heartbeat and see if she was in any distress, and we'll do a non-stress test every 3 days, and monitor her. She said they will monitor her and if she's not doing well, we're taking her out (early delivery)! So its good thing I got the appointment yesterday! My mom was with me the whole time , and she drove me to Valleycare Hospital next. Cameron was now leaving the city and on his way to the hospital. I was trying to just hold it all together, but I was definitely frazzled, and shaky. Everything at the hospital went fine, and she did wonderful during the test. I guess they want to see that every time she moves, her heart rate goes up...which it did. So ,of course, right when I was done, Cameron arrived at BART (I told him everything looked fine, and I was going home), so I just met him at home. I'm glad the nights over, and that everything is ok. Now I get to go in for another ultrasound (to check the amniotic fluid) and a non-stress test Monday morning. Then again 3 days later.

So its a good thing that Friday was my last day of work because I have to do this test every 3 days. I'm not sure how long they'll continue it for...the remainder of the pregnancy or just until they see that everything is fine? We'll see.

After finding all of this out, I don't think I want to do an External Verion (where my OB tries to turn her into position). I think I want to let her move into position on her own. She might be breech for a reason, and I don't want to do anything that is not natural. The cord is near her neck right now, but not wrapped around it, and my fear is that if we try to turn her, the cord could wrap itself around her neck, or could detach from the placenta, etc. So I just want to let her be. And also knowing that my amniotic fluid is low, I don't want to do anything to cause distress with low fluid to move around in. I'm still deciding, but it looks like a planned cesarean around my due date would be best. I really don't feel like she's going to move on her own. She's been in this position for quite some time now, and seems quite comfortable. Her arm and one leg have been up around her face since 20 weeks, and I'm at 36 weeks now. Seems like she's in that position for a reason...

It was a little bit of a frightening night, and I'm glad everything turned out positive. And I'm glad to know she's at 6 1/2 pounds if anything were to happen!

36 Weeks